The first thing I felt was the breath on my neck. My hands moved quick, rubbing the back of my neck out of reflex, my head turning barely. Hm. I thought, nothing. Weird. 

The office was just as empty as it always was, and my body quickly went back to its usual position of a deep slouch and a curved neck as my eyes strained on the screen. The office was boring as usual, Amy moved throughout the filing cabinet hurriedly, and I saw Julien waiting impatiently in his office. He must’ve yelled at her again, I couldn’t tell without the sound.

There wasn’t much power I had over these people anyway. Though the company tried to pretend and act as if I was some all-seeing God, little power fell into my hands when I sat behind this screen. The employees were afraid of me, it was some sort of pseudo-controlling psychology the company had reassured me was in the best interest of the employees. Sure, it meant that I could never speak to them, and I needed to scurry out the back door of the office when the clock hit 4:30. It got quite lonely after the 4th year.

My eyes fell to the right corner of my computer, 2:18, and a light grunt fell from my lips without much of my control. It always took forever for 4:30 to come, and as per company policy, I couldn’t move. And they meant it, I genuinely couldn’t. 

For some reason, when I first started this job, the minute I sat in this chair, I couldn’t stand up until the clock hit 4:30. I never got the urge to use the bathroom, or stretch, and I was never told of a lunch break, but I was never hungry. The most I could do was type on the computer, move my forearms up to my elbow, but besides that, I was essentially paralyzed. 

But I didn’t question it, if anything, it made my job easier. 

But then I felt the breathing again. My fingers twitched on the keyboard, but I chalked it up to paranoia. It wasn’t real, but it sure as hell felt real. It was warm, and thick breath, and it crawled up and down my nape in a slow, monotonous form. It almost felt like a fog. It’s just the heating…a pipe is loose or something. I thought to myself, my hands continuing to type on the computer, and I wished at that moment I could at least bounce my knee. 

I didn’t feel anything else until it was almost time to leave. It wasn’t just a breath this time, because I heard something. It was something in between a grunt and a huff, and I felt it even deeper. This time it was lower on my body, I could feel the warmth coming through the back my shirt, it was stronger and warmer than it had been an hour ago. 

Jesus, fuck I’m losing my mind. Maybe it’s time for to take a day off. 

When before the feeling became fleeting, and I could convince myself I had just made up the weird breathing and the warmth of a thick gas on me, but this time, I felt another. It’s breathing. It’s…breathing. 

God, fuck no. I’m losing my mind! 

I shook my head, I just needed to focus, I only had another 30 minutes before it was EOD. My eyes flickered back to the screen, searching for something, anything that was interesting enough in the office for me to take my mind off of the goosebumps rising on my body. 

Nothing, they seemed just as glued to their chairs as I am.

The breathing continued for the next 5 minutes, and that’s when I felt the hand. Well, not a hand, but something…finger line. It was gripping my waist, it must have had some type of appendage or muscle or something to make it feel like this. But it wasn’t a human hand, I knew a human hand, I knew human fingers, this was…what the fuck. 

My eyes flickered to the one thing I never liked to look at, the screen showing me. I never looked at it, my posture made my mother’s voice pop into my head, and that was scarier at the moment than the appendage gripping my stomach. But I did it anyway, I needed to know what the fuck was going on behind me. 

I shouldn’t have looked, the image made my stomach drop. Some type of….thing was behind me. A bulbous mass of a dark green flesh glistened in the light reflection of the lamp on the table. The CCTV footage could barely catch the blinking. It’s eyes mustve been closed when I first looked, because they all opened at once, staring directly into the camera.

“Fuck.” i mumbled, trying to do my best the hands continuing to roll into my skin. “W-what the fuck!” It wasn’t pain that I felt but…It felt like an invasion. Hands were crawling onto my body without the touch. 

I couldn’t move now, could barely move my neck. My eyes only worked at this point, I should call my manager. Yeah, my manager. His name…what was his name? Had I ever even met him? When did I start this job? How did I even get here today? 

My eyes flashed to the clock. 4:29, thank God. I was almost done. This must all be in my head, I must need a vacation. Security burnout or whatever. My eyes were stuck there almost, glued to the clock. So close to freedom. 

4:30 

Finally, I’m free. These mystical bounds on my wrists must be some sick figment of my imagination to get me to quit this damn job. I’m never coming back here, ever. 

But…I couldn't move. What? I stared at the clock as it stopped counting up, flashing the daunting 4:30 at me, over and over again. My eyes scanned the room, my neck still stiff. Eventually they went down to my legs, maybe if I stared at my knees theywould finally lift themselves. But they were gone. 

I tried to gulp, but I couldn’t. I tried to blink my eyes, but the familiar flutter never came. Where was I? What was this? This must be a dream, a nightmare, a cosmic fuck-up that was some black mark on the moral record of God Himself.

What the fuck was he talking about? 

“So.. you're probably confused, but no worries! It’s quite easy to understand. When you signed that super big contract initially, there was a little clause about…what happens during promotion!” He said, typing absentmindedly on the computer. “Since you’ve been such a good worker, we thought you’d appreciate it if you stayed here…”

What the fuck was he talking about? 

“When one of our security partners reaches excellency, that little chair you're sitting on,” he lightly kicked it, “activates. Using technology way too advanced for your…working class brain,” he chuckled, a mumble of words falling after. 

“Your brain has been now labeled as property of SanCorp, and we are happy to provide you with all your necessities. Your body, as you may have noticed, is gone. It’s a complicated process but essentially, your atoms merged with the chairs,” he explained while setting up some machine. “Food tube, and water tube.” He said, hooking the chair, or me, up to a weird-looking tube, locked underneath the cabinet. 

“What the fuck are you talking about?” I heard myself scream, talk! I could talk again! This was some type of cosmic fuck up, it must be! 

“Ah, shit. The vocal chords must’ve morphed wrong.” He grumbled, before typing back on the computer. “Gotta get you fixed up before the new hire arrives!” He said excitedly, “Night shift is about to begin…crap, your retina’s are still in tact too.” 

With the click of a key my sight was gone, and tat’s when I started screaming. At least I tried to. 

“All set. I’ll see you on your retiree day…” he checked a digital calendar on his phone, “In 42 years, 5 months, 16 days, 23 hours, and 56 minutes, your 65th birthday.” he hummed, “4:30 on the dot.”